Explosion
by LittleDragon94
Summary: For the now-disbanded competition: Prank Wars - Team Marauder. It's a fifth year potions lesson and Sirius Black wonders what would happen if you followed potion instructions backwards...


_**For Prank Wars: Team Marauder**_

_**Prompts: "...so shiny!", candy, explosion.**_

_**Words: 1,189**_

* * *

'Okay class, instructions are on the board - get cracking on this Awakening Potion and the best one will win a hamper of Honeydukes chocolate!' Professor Slughorn clapped his pudgy hands together and beamed at the class.

Sirius' dark eyebrows were pulled tight in concentration, a look that he didn't often wear.

'Are you feeling okay Pads?' James asked, brushing his messy fringe out of his face as the class bustled about setting up their cauldrons and apparatus. Remus was already on his feet retrieving his equipment.

'I'm just wondering what would happen if those potion instructions were followed backwards.'

A mischievous smile spread across James' face and Pete leaned in closer to hear the plan.

Remus returned to their bench, tucking his Gryffindor tie into his shirt to stop it dipping in his cauldron. 'What's going on?'

'Nothing to worry about Mr. Prefect,' James winked, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.

Remus grimaced. 'Now I'm definitely worrying. Pete, what are they up to?'

Sandy haired Peter avoided Remus' eye. 'Nothing.' he squeaked.

Remus sighed. 'Nevermind. I'll work by Lily instead.'

James cleared his throat pointedly.

'Yes, I'll tell her what a wonderful potioneer you are,' Remus rolled his eyes. 'Not that she'll believe me anyway, she has been in our class for five years.'

'C'mon Remus, stay here, you don't want to work by Snivellus do you?' Sirius pointed out, indicating hook-nosed Severus Snape who was sat beside Lily at the front of the class. 'Besides, we're not doing anything dangerous. I think.'

That forced a chuckle. 'How reassuring.' All the same, Remus stayed on the bench at the back of the potions classroom with James, Sirius and Peter.

At the front of the class Lily was already busy stirring her potion and Snape was carefully measuring dried billywig wings into his cauldron. Marlene and Mary were chatting as they took their time lighting the flames beneath their cauldron, and Hestia and Emmeline, on the row behind, were measuring standard ingredient, while across the room the rest of the Slytherins were minding their own business preparing their concoctions.

Slughorn pottered about the classroom oohing and ahhing at the various stages of potions about the place. He breezed very quickly past the back row, having learnt not to spend too much time there in his years teaching James and Sirius.

Sirius dropped his voice to a whisper as Slughorn set off for the front of the class again. 'First we need to add six measures of dried billywig stings to the cauldron.'

Remus glanced over. 'No, it's six snake fangs to the mortar first.'

James, Sirius and Peter ignored him.

'Now we add four measures of standard ingredient to the mortar.' Sirius continued, fishing a box of standard ingredient from his potions set.

Remus edged away from the trio slightly. 'I don't know what you're doing but it won't end well.' He informed them.

'The less you know the better Moony,' Sirius tapped his nose with his index finger. 'Besides, your potion-making skills need work - Prongs and I can afford to mess about. Even Pete's better at making potions than you.'

Remus shook his head. 'Fine, just warn me before something explodes. I don't need another lecture from McGonagall about setting an example to you now I'm a prefect.'

* * *

Sirius peered over the edge of his cauldron. 'That is a revolting shade of beige,' he noted, quickly backing away from his potion, gagging. 'And an even more revolting smell.'

James pinched his nose as he stirred his potion three times anti-clockwise. The surface of his potion shimmered and turned from a green-tinged beige to a light silver colour.

'Ooh, shiny.' Peter scrutinised the potion. 'James, is it meant to be bubbling like that?'

James considered the ominously gurgling mixture. 'I doubt it. Hey Padfoot, check this out.'

'Merlin's codpiece Prongs, what did you do?' Sirius compared his now lime green potion with James'.

'I just added the snake fangs,' James shrugged, absently ruffling his jet hair.

'Did you crush them?' Pete asked as Slughorn made his way around the room once more. He paused to praise Lily, as usual, and Snape glowered from behind his greasy curtain of hair, as usual.

'Ah, snitch.' James cursed. 'I just added them whole.'

'Well there's your problem then,' Sirius nodded with maddening superiority. 'Now you need to wave your wand over it.'

Remus flinched when he saw James pulling his wand from his pocket. 'Here comes the explosion. I'm going to go and talk to Hestia.' He hurriedly strolled over to Hestia, under the guise of borrowing some wolfsbane.

'Ready?' James checked with Pete and Sirius. Sirius looked excited, whereas Pete looked more than a little bit apprehensive as James swished his eleven inch mahogany wand through the air over his cauldron.

The effect was instantaneous.

With a loud bang and a blinding flash James' potion exploded across the room. A few girls screamed and Stebbins jumped so much he tipped his own cauldron over himself and went tumbling to the stone-flagged floor - Bole and Harper leapt onto their stools as the mixture oozed towards them. Hestia was probably the least affected person in the room, given that most of the blast had been shielded from her by Remus standing just behind her.

Professor Slughorn was about as useful as ever, blinking his vision clear and gaping like a goldfish at the sudden mess across his classroom.

'WHAT DID YOU DO, POTTER?' James picked himself up from where he, Peter and Sirius had been thrown back onto the floor, covered in potion, expecting Slughorn to be yelling - but it was actually Lily who was bearing down on the trio at the back like a rather angry hippogriff. She had splodges of potion in her hair and on the back of her robes.

'Just trying to make my potion as good as yours Evans,' James charmed, potion splattered across his face and glasses. 'Obviously I don't have the same knack for potions as you - maybe some private lessons would help. What do you say?'

'NO!' Lily was outraged. 'What is wrong with you - why do you cause so much chaos everywhere you go?'

James backed away until he was against a desk, hurriedly trying to wipe his glasses clean. His smooth talking was, unsurprisingly, not working on Lily, but he kept trying.

'You know this potion actually tastes a bit like candy - Honeydukes sugar quills to be exact.' He licked a speck of potion from his bottom lip. 'They're your favourite right Evans? Want to taste?'

He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and at that moment Professor Slughorn decided to lurch back into action.

'Detention - all three of you!' He fumed. 'Now get to cleaning this mess up. Class dismissed.'

Of course, Lily won the Honeydukes hamper.


End file.
